Masquerade of the Dead
by Kyuseisha no Hikari
Summary: Over the few days following the death of his best friend, Dark has learned that life can be hard, but what he doesn't know...is that sometimes being dead is much worse.
1. I

_Hello! And thank you to anyone that has decided to read this! I want to tell you a little bit about this story before you begin, but please feel free to skip this if you aren't interested. This was originally going to be a one-shot in which I just picked on one of the characters until I ended it with his death, but over the past day or two, I've really decided I'll make this…more supernatural and fantasy-like, so I apologize to any who aren't interested in that genre. This **does **take place in an Alternate Universe, and will continue on for quite a while, I suppose. Thank you for your time, and I hope that you can enjoy this chapter!_

_--_

**Masquerade of the Dead**

--

Over the few days following the death of his best friend, Dark has learned that life can be hard, but what he doesn't know...is that sometimes being dead is much worse.

_--_

_Chapter 1_

_--_

Snow was falling heavily, a gentleness of the gods lingering in the air. It was morning, now, and Dark shuddered, a sob heavily wracking his form.

His violet locks were disheveled, a sign that he had taken little time to regard himself of late. His elegant features were contorted into a mask of grief and pain, his eyes were red and puffy.

Krad and me…we were friends for…longer then I can remember. It seemed like he was always there when I needed him…but now… God, **why** did this have to happen? It wasn't fair—he shouldn't have—didn't deserve any of this! 

Dark lay, half under a thin blanket on his couch, staring emptily out at the snow, and he bit back tears as a memory flooded his mind.

--

_Krad poked at the food on his plate, and watched Dark do the same. _

"_Krad…should we eat it?" Dark asked hesitantly, prodding the charred remains in front of him._

"_Not on my life, would I **ever** eat that," the blonde replied, pushing the tray away from him and standing up._

"_You're so mean! It isn't my fault, okay? Next time I'll just let my mom cook, okay?" Dark said, jumping up behind his friend._

"_All right," Krad shrugged. "What are we going to do now?"_

"_I don't know—but let's do something fun while you're staying over here with me, okay? How much longer before your parents come back?"_

"_I'm not sure…about two weeks?" Krad said, as he tried to remember the date they were coming back from vacation._

"_Oh, well that's okay—it doesn't really matter. Let's go, though!"_

"_Where?"_

_Dark smirked. "The mall."_

"_Why?" Krad said, as he walked towards the front door and slid on his shoes, Dark doing the same._

"_Because I want to see someone there," Dark explained as they walked out the door._

"_You have a crush?"_

"_No. Well, not on anyone at the mall, but still," Dark said as he ran a hand through his hair. "I wanna spy on someone."_

"_Oh, Dark! Come on—why do you always have to meddle in their affairs?"_

"_Whose affairs?" He replied defensively._

"_Dark—Daisuke and Satoshi's."_

"_How'd you know?"_

"_It was written all over your face."_

"_Oh…Well, in any case," Dark said, immediately perking up, "Let's hurry."_

_His pace sped up, and Krad frowned, his chest lightly contracting. "Dark--?" he called, and slowed down, closing his eyes as a sudden wave of nausea struck him, and he stumbled lightly._

_Dark turned to look at his friend. "Krad—what's--?"_

_The blonde began coughing, suddenly, violently, and his eyes rolled back in his head._

"_**Krad !**_"_ Dark yelled, running quickly to his friend's side, grabbing the limp form before he fell to the ground. "Krad?"_

_The blonde gave no response, a thin line of blood trickling down his lips._

_--_

_He and Krad were…how old—14, 15 when this took place? He didn't remember. Right now…he didn't **want** to remember. It hurt…_

Dark bit back the pain, and could do nothing as the memory continued.

--

Dark sat anxiously, kicking his feet against the floor as he waited for something—anything—to happen.

_The nurses were too busy, and wouldn't stop to tell him what was going on—or why Krad had been placed in intensive care._

_He sighed angrily, and crossed his arms before standing up and pacing._

_He didn't know how long it had been since he began, but a kindly hand was placed on his shoulder._

"_You've been here for quite some time—are you waiting for someone?"_

_The woman who stood above him was young, wearing a kind face and looking down upon him with warm eyes. He nodded, and she smiled, "What is their name—I'm sure I can take you to the room, if you want…"_

_Dark nodded eagerly, "Krad Hikari—he was unconscious when I brought him here, they said he was in intensive care, and—"_

"_Shh," the woman said soothingly. "He's fine—I was just in his room. Come on, I'll show you…"_

_Dark followed, and when she opened a door and the golden haired boy looked over at it, Dark's eyes widened and he ran into the room. "Krad!"_

_Krad smiled, when Dark entered, and he sat up quickly. The nurse shot him a certain glance, and he frowned, lying back down. "Sorry," he mumbled, and Dark looked at the nurse. "Thank you!"_

_She nodded. "Krad…you have to stay until tomorrow, we can't have you check you out until after midnight—" She had been about to say more, but someone called her from down the hallway._

_Turning her gaze to the boys, she said to them, "Don't let him do anything foolish," she said to Dark, and shot Krad a warning glance._

_He feigned a smile, but sighed heavily after she closed the door._

"_Krad—are you alright?" Dark asked, sitting at the foot of the bed._

_Krad nodded, and shot Dark the same smile. "I'm doing much better now…thank you."_

_Dark sighed. "Good—you really freaked me out, you know!"_

"_Sorry, sorry," Krad said apologetically. "There…wasn't…isn't anything I can do about it, though…"_

"_About…what?" Dark said, noticing a sorrowful tone lingering in Krad's voice._

"_Nothing—it doesn't matter now. So…when are you going to have to go?"_

"_Why—do you want me to leave?" Dark said._

"_No—no, it isn't that at all, but…it's almost four o'clock…won't your parents be worried about you?"_

"_They'll be worried about you, too!" Dark said, giving Krad a skeptical glance._

"_No—please don't tell them?" The blonde said, sudden enthusiasm stringing his words together._

"_Alright, alright. I won't tell them, but…jeez, Krad, you look pretty bad. You should go to sleep, or something."_

_Krad nodded. "Sure…I'll…I'll do that," he said as Dark nodded. "You…uh…don't mind if I stay here for a bit, though, do you?" Dark asked, and Krad shook his hand. "No…not at all…"_

_--_

Dark pulled the covers over his head, and gave a low moan—he remembered what came next.

--

_The nurse had woken Dark up—apparently he had been dozing soon after Krad. Visiting hours were up…he had to go home…see Krad tomorrow—only a few words registered in his mind as she spoke, and he had to work to understand what even **they** were. _

_He nodded dumbly, and stood up, taking one last look at the figure that lay sleeping peacefully, before walking home in the cold snow…_

_He went to bed early that night, his parents having left a note on the counter saying they went out to a movie and dinner he didn't have to worry about explaining why Krad wasn't with him._

_He woke up early—eight o'clock, about, and scribbled something roughly on a sheet of paper for his parents. It read, _

'_Gone with Krad to the park—we'll be back later'_

_It was Saturday, now—his parents would be asleep for a while, more then enough time for him to go to the hospital and get Krad before coming back._

_He ran out the door, dashing madly through snow that was falling harder then it looked, and charged all the way to the hospital._

"_Is…is Krad Hikari here?" he asked a woman sitting in front of a desk._

"_One moment, please," she said, flipping through some papers. "No…I'm afraid he checked out at four fifteen this morning…"_

_Dark blinked. Krad had already checked out? Where would he have—"Thank you ma'am!" He yelled, running out of the hospital building and towards Krad's house._

_He was panting madly by the time he got there, and nearly ran into the door trying to slow his overworked muscles._

_Knocking heavily on the door, he waited. Only a brief moment passed before the door opened, revealing a baggy eyed Krad._

"_Dark? What are you doing here?" He said, sleepily, brushing a strand of hair out of his face so that he could see better._

_Dark smiled, and leaned heavily onto his knees, glad that he had found Krad. "What are **you** doing here—you're supposed to be staying with me, remember?" _

_Krad nodded, and gestured for Dark to come in out of the snow. "I do, but I didn't think you nor your parents would enjoy me going over to your house at four something in the morning—are you hungry?"_

_Dark shook his head, walking in and closing the door behind him. "No, but I am a little thirsty. I ran all the way to the hospital only to learn that you weren't there—then I had to run all the way over here to see if this is where you were."_

_Krad nodded, smiling faintly as he grabbed a can of soda from the refrigerator, and tossed it to Dark._

_The purple haired teen nimbly caught it, and cracked it open, draining the whole thing in less then a breath._

_Krad sighed, and only took a step foreword before he was overwhelmed by a sudden coughing fit. The blonde leaned heavily on the wall as he gasped for breath between coughs, and Dark ran to his side, gripping his friend's shoulders steadily, and guided him to the couch._

_Pushing Krad to sit down, Dark remembered, not so fondly, the events of yesterday, and draped a blanket around Krad's shoulder as the coughing began to subside._

"_Stay here—I'm going to go make some tea or something," Dark said as he stood up and walked into the kitchen._

_When he returned a moment later, a mug of steaming liquid in his hands, Krad had lie down on the couch, and was watching with pained eyes the frozen world outside the window._

_Taking a seat on the floor, Dark set the cup next to him to cool for a bit, and said, "Krad…what's wrong with you?"_

_Krad's gaze slowly lowered to meet Dark's eyes, and he pulled the covers over his head and curled up tightly on the furniture._

"_Krad! We're best friends," Dark said, turning his body to face Krad more, "and I know that something isn't right; won't you please tell me?" He begged._

_Krad was silent for a few seconds, "I…Dark….Dark, there's a storm coming, and I can't go outside…you should leave now if you want to get home before it hits…"_

_Dark shook his head. "Krad, I'm not leaving."_

_The blonde sighed. "Okay…"_

_Dark smirked, hoping that Krad would take it as a positive gesture—even though he probably couldn't see him from underneath the blanket anyway._

_He poked the blonde gently, "What's wrong?"_

_Krad had a light coughing fit, and then said, his voice still slightly muffled from the blanket, "It isn't anything…I've just caught a cold."_

"_Liar."_

_Everything was silent for a moment, the snow continuing to fall outside, and Dark said, "Well…you need to rest, I'm sure. I'll wake you up in a little bit and we'll eat lunch or something."_

"_You can't cook anything decent, though…"_

"_Don't be stupid—I know that. I'm ordering out. If I do it now, they'll be able to deliver it before the storm._

_Krad smiled faintly from below the covers, and forced himself into a light doze as Dark called his parents, informing them he was going to stay at Krad's house for the night._

_When Krad awoke, a good number of hours later that day, Dark allowed him to reheat the food he had ordered, and the two made due with the meal before retreating to bed._

_Dark, now donning an extra set of sleepwear he left at Krad's house, followed Krad down the hallway that led to both Krad's room and the guest room Dark had been planning on sleeping in._

_Krad suddenly stopped though, and placed his hand on the door frame of his room, and said just as Dark passed, "Dark…My lungs are decaying…I'm dying…"_

_Dark's head cocked up in surprise, and all he could do was stare dumbly at the blonde, his mind trying to register this new information._

_Krad's shoulders slumped, and he took a step foreword into his room. "Goodnight," he mumbled._

_It was only then that Dark was able to react, "Wait!" He leapt towards the blonde, and latched onto his shoulders—spinning him around so that he could look the blonde in the eyes._

"_Why didn't you tell me?"_

"_Because…I didn't want you…or Daisuke or Satoshi to worry…"_

_--_

_Dark sat, sharing Krad's bed, and the two talked for what must have been hours about little nothings. They talked about the disease Krad had been cursed with as a young child, at memories of how they met, at what was to come in the future._

"_Krad…Krad, promise me that you'll make it though this?"_

_Krad was silent for a long moment, but then, "Dark…I swear to you that I will not let this drive me away from you, if that's what you mean."_

_Dark nodded, "But remember…you promised me…"_

_--_

Dark choked. Krad had lied. He didn't keep his promise…and they had buried him just this morning.

Another memory—the day Krad had…passed away… He had called him, and just like that, Dark's world was shattered. Four years after the blonde promised he wouldn't leave, he called Dark and said, "Dark…I'm not…going to make it" and left.

Just like that.

Krad was gone before Dark had time to make it to the hospital, before he had a chance to even do so much as say goodbye.

More tears threatened to flow, and he closed his eyes tightly. The funeral…had been today…right? He couldn't stay…he didn't want to hear the sounds of dirt falling heavily onto the white casket that held his best friend. He left…Daisuke and Satoshi would stay for him…

His voice dry and cracked, he said, sadly, "Krad…"

"Meant a lot to you, hmm?"

Dark's eyes flashed open, and he stared in wonder at a figure standing before him, golden hair held tightly in a high ponytail, arms crossed in though.

"What…? Krad ?"

The almost transparent figure nodded. "Yes…Krad," it said, savoring the name as a smirk crossed devilishly over his features.

"But—"

"Shh," the blonde said, and offered a gentle smile to Dark. "If I meant so much to you…why don't you join me?"

Dark blinked. "J...Join you?"

"Yes…it won't hurt…honest," he said, his golden eyes hypnotizing the distraught teenager.

Dark nodded dumbly, and headed towards the kitchen, pulling a sleek knife from the drawers. He gave a hesitant look to the blonde that stood before him, who gave a reassuring nod and smile as Dark looked at his wrists and pushed the knife down, gently, slowly.

He pushed harder, and looked up at Krad one more time, and then…

The front door flew open, a burst of red and blue mixing into his vision as Dark turned his head to regard the boys that stood in his living room.

"Dark!" The redhead called.

The violet haired man turned back to look at Krad, only to find that the blonde was gone, and his hands began to twitch. He dropped the kitchen knife to the floor, and fell to his knees, looking at his palms in confusion.

"Dark!" Daisuke said, running up to him, followed closely by Satoshi. "What were you—what's going on?"

Dark shook his head slowly, as if denying everything that just happened himself. "I don't…I don't know…"

--

_Interesting? No? Well, Either way, thank you for reading this, and I hope you enjoyed it! Or at least understood it, anyway. I'll update as soon as possible, and please remember that your reviews are highly appreciated, if you can spare the time. Thank you again, and please forgive me for any mistakes I've made._


	2. II

_**Masquerade of the Dead** _

_--_

_Over the few days following the death of his best friend, Dark has learned that life can be hard, but what he doesn't know...is that sometimes being dead is much worse._

_--_

_Chapter 2_

_--_

Daisuke kneeled down next to Dark, wrapping his arms around the older male, "Dark…what…what were you just trying to…?"

"I don't…Daisuke, I just don't know! I thought…and Krad…and…"

Dark was overcome by a sudden wave of grief and guilt, and he felt hot ears streaming down his already stained face, "I'm sorry…"

Satoshi stepped over towards the two, and murmured quietly to Daisuke, "Let's get him into bed. Call your mother and ask if you can stay the night. He won't mind," he said, gesturing to Dark.

The redhead nodded, and looked for the phone. Gripping it in his gloved hand, he rang for his house.

"Mom…can I…stay the night at Dark's?"

A moment passed, and then, "Thanks mom, I'll be home tomorrow after noon. I love you, too. Bye…"

Upon hanging up, Daisuke returned to Dark's side, and gripped his arm, pulling him to his feet, "Come on Dark, let's go…"

The violet haired teenager nodded sullenly, and Satoshi tossed him a look of concern, "Dark…are you all right?"

The other said nothing, but went to his room.

"Daisuke…I'm staying here. I get the feeling he doesn't want to talk to me right now," Satoshi said, and Daisuke nodded, "If you say so. I'll be back in a minute…"

--

Dark lay silent under the blankets in his room, his eyes half open as Daisuke sat on the corner of the bed. A long moment passed in silence, and when Daisuke couldn't take it any more, he said, "Dark…we all miss him, I know…but…you have to promise me that…you won't do that again…"

"I won't…I don't even know why I did it in the first place…" Dark growled quietly.

"But…Dark, what made you do it? I need to know," Daisuke plead.

"I…god dammit, It's stupid!" Dark said, sitting up to face Daisuke.

The redhead, in any other circumstances would have shifted away, but instead he shook his head, "No, Dark, I won't—I swear. Why did you do it?" He repeated.

"I did it…because…I thought I saw _him_…and he _said_ to do it…"

"Krad?"

Dark nodded, "And…Daisuke, It hasn't even been a week yet, and I miss him so much…I would have gone through with it just to be with him…"

"Dark, don't say that…he wouldn't want that…" Daisuke said, tossing Dark a hurt glance.

"I'm sorry…I just…he meant a lot to me—he still does…and it's hard knowing that I'll _never_ see him again…"

A voice from the door said, "It hurts all of us."

Satoshi walked into the room and took a seat at the chair next to Dark's desk and said, "May I join you?"

Daisuke nodded, and Dark sighed. "Dammit…I'm so weak. I…I almost took my own life because I couldn't stand the thought of living without him…"

"We know, trust me, we _know._" Daisuke said, his voice laced with grief, "It's going to be hard for all of us to get along without him…"

"But we will," Satoshi said, sighing.

"Right…"

--

The blonde stood up groggily, clutching his head in pain. Looking around, the first thing he noted was that it was cold, icy. There were houses littering the street around him, and he blinked.

Wasn't he…hadn't he…?

Shaking his head in disbelief, he recalled where he had seen these homes before.

This was…near Dark's house…wasn't it?

Krad placed a hand to his forehead, and winced at the sudden burst of ice. His hands, his arms, his whole body was freezing…yet he felt none of it…

Swallowing, he was burdened with questions…like…why was he here?

Taking a hesitant step foreword, he then repeated the procedure until he was walking at a steady pace towards the house he remembered so fondly.

--

The doorbell to Dark's house rang, and the redhead rose to his feet, "Stay here, I'll get it…"

Satoshi rose behind him, "I'll go, too."

The two of them had shed themselves of their heavy coats, their scarves and gloves, now walked to the front door, opening it.

"Hel…" Daisuke began, his words catching in his throat.

Satoshi was speechless, and each stared in confusion at the blonde standing before them.

--

_Yes, I felt sorry for Krad so…I…sorta…made him…undead. If that makes any sense. So sorry if it doesn't'…but, I promised a certain someone I would update, and so I have. I do hope you all are enjoying this, and if not I hope that you will at least give it time to grow a little before you conclude that you hate it. Thank you for reading, and I hope you will review!_


	3. III

_**Masquerade of the Dead** _

_--_

_Over the few days following the death of his best friend, Dark has learned that life can be hard, but what he doesn't know...is that sometimes being dead is much worse._

_--_

_Chapter 3_

_--_

"Wh…what?" Daisuke asked, his brows furrowing in confusion, and Satoshi stared with wide eyes.

In a split second, the blue haired boy shook his head and blinked. He reached out rapidly and slammed the door shut.

Daisuke turned to Satoshi quickly, "Did you—did you…?"

"I did…I think…"

Daisuke reached for the door handle again, "Then why did you--?"

"No!" Satoshi yelled, reaching his hand on the door to keep the red head from opening it.

"But _why_?"

"Because he's _dead!_" Satoshi hissed.

"I _know_ that, but we—you and I _both_ just saw him outside—didn't we?"

Satoshi swallowed, nodding slightly, "Maybe…maybe we didn't—we might have just been imaging it."

"Satoshi, you _know_ we didn't!"

"_Daisuke!"_

"What?"

"Fine—we'll open the door and see if he's still there!" Satoshi said, quickly.

"Okay!" Daisuke said just as quickly, and each of them reached to open the door. Jerking it open ,they stared into the eyes of the still confused blonde.

"Uhm…" He said slowly.

"What the _hell_ is going on?" Satoshi said, glaring at Krad.

"I don't…I'm not sure…" Krad said, swallowing under the blue haired boy's suddenly violent gaze.

"What are you doing here—you should be _dead_!" he hissed, his glare never wavering.

"I think he knows that…" Daisuke said, looking up at Satoshi. "Why are you being so mean?"

"Because I want to know what's going on!"

"I think we'd all like to…" Krad said, breaking up the two younger boys conversation.

"Come inside, then" Daisuke said, grabbing Krad's hand and then suddenly jerking it away.

"What's wrong?" Satoshi asked, suddenly concerned for the red head.

"Krad, you're freezing!" Daisuke sputtered, and looked up at the blonde.

"I am?"

"Come inside—I'll get you something warm to drink—Satoshi—get some blankets and…and…"

"I'll be fine," Krad said, stepping inside as Daisuke told him to, "But where's Dark?"

Every stopped, suddenly, there's eyes all averting from Krad's gaze. "Well?"

"Krad…you probably don't want to…go see him right now…" Satoshi said quietly.

"Why?"

"Because, Krad…he almost…just…"

"Just what?" The blonde asked, a slight hint of irritance creeping into his voice.

"He almost just took his own life…" Satoshi said finally, watching as Krad's eyes widened.

"But—what? Wait—why would he--?"

"Krad, calm down. Just come inside and sit down for a minute, okay?" Daisuke asked as Satoshi shut the door behind the blonde.

"Daisuke…Daisuke, I can't—I want to see him," the blonde said firmly, looking coldly at the two younger boys as if daring them to say no to him.

--

Dark lay in his bed, awaiting the return of his two younger friends. A long time passed, and they had yet to return, and Dark grew ever wearier of waiting. He closed his eyes, too tired to stand, and let sleep overtake him.

--

"Just let me go first, then," Daisuke said after a long moment, and Krad nodded fervently, "All right."

The redhead in the lead, the three of them stalked over to Dark's room, Daisuke opening the door quietly. Peeking his head in, he looked back at Krad then at Dark again before hissing, "Krad…Dark's asleep right now…"

The blonde looked away, and then nodded less eagerly, now.

Daisuke stepped back, and closed the door behind him, "well…maybe _we_ can talk?"

Satoshi nodded, looking up at Krad, "I have questions."

Krad frowned, "And I told you I didn't have the answers."

"Not about that," Satoshi said, shaking his head, "About Dark."

"What do you want to know, then?" Krad asked, suddenly very suspicious.

"Can we sit down, first?" Daisuke asked, looking between the two taller males.

"Yes, let's…and we'll get Krad some blankets, too. How does that sound, Niwa?"

"It's fine with me—let's go," Daisuke said, running into the living room.

The other two followed, each taking a seat. Satoshi sat on a couch while Krad a chair in front of it, and when Daisuke returned (upon dropping a pile of blankets on the icy blonde) he took a seat next to Satoshi.

"All right, Krad," Satoshi began, "I need to know…how much did Dark—does Dark mean to you?"

--

When Dark awoke again, the moon was high in the sky and through his window he could see that all of his neighbors had already turned off their lights.

Dark stood up shakily and swallowed, looking in the mirror. Seeing himself through the blinding moonlight, he brushed a few strands of hair out of his face, and turned to his door. Opening it, he stepped quietly outside into the hallway before stepping quietly into the living room.

Dark blinked rapidly, his eyesight locked on the sight of the blonde laying snuggled into his couch, and stuttered, "K-Krad?"

--

_Ahh, I left off with a cliffhanger…too bad for you. You'll just have to wait until next time to see what happens. Of course…knowing me that will be soon enough. There isn't any school due to the hurricane, and so I'll try to update quickly since I haven't for…the past two days. Sorry, but the power was out…I do hope you'll forgive me!_


	4. IV

**Masquerade of the Dead**

--

Over the few days following the death of his best friend, Dark has learned that life can be hard, but what he doesn't know...is that sometimes being dead is much worse.

_--_

_Chapter 4_

_--_

On the auburn couch, the blonde lay, ethereal in the glittering moonlight. He made no movement, lying as still and silent as the dead. Dark's breath cought in his through; he choked.

A sinking feeling exploded in his stomach. He found himself stepping backwards from the couch, covering his eyes with quivering hands. He fell to the floor on his knees, clutching his head tightly. "God dammit, he's gone…he's _gone_! Krad isn't…isn't…"

Choking back a sob, he dimly heard the ruffling of blankets, and saw out of the corner of his eye movement. A second passed, and he felt an icy grip on his shoulder, and words of worry called out, "Dark? Are you—"

Dark pulled away, scuffling away. Only when his back hit the cold wall did he look up at the eerily pale teenager in front of him. "Get…the _hell_ away from me!"

Krad winced, his dulled eyes flashing with pain unimaginable. "Dark?" he tried again, hoping in some forlorn part of his soul the other might take back his words.

"Shut up…" the glaring boy pled, tears threatening to fall from his eyes as the memory of the lost blonde rekindled in his mind. "Just…shut…up…"

Krad stepped back unwillingly, and swallowed. He yearned to say something—_anything_ to comfort Dark, but…

A door down the hallway opened, and two figures emerged. Daisuke first, followed by Satoshi. "Dark?" the red head asked tentatively, his gaze falling on the older teenager's face. "What is it?"

"Krad," Satoshi said blandly, and Daisuke cocked his head to the other side to get a view of the blonde. "Oh…"

"Wait…you _see_ him?" Dark asked, his gaze flitting to the younger boys as they nodded. "I'm _not_ just imagining this?"

Krad blinked, still saying nothing as he watched his friends fly into a jumbled conversation.

"No, Dark, Krad is actually standing before you," Satoshi said, producing a pair of glasses and elegantly setting them atop his nose.

"But he's _dead_!" Dark argued, his voice cracking on the last word.

"Yes, he is. And we can't figure out for the life of us why he's standing in front of you right now."

"But…but…" Dark was at a loss for words, and looked pleadingly at Daisuke as if begging him to help him in some way.

The redhead walked over to the other male, and sank down next to him. "Dark…we know how hard this must be for you…we know how much Krad meant—means to you…but…he _really is_ right there."

"How do you know…he's not…an imposter or something…?" Dark asked, his eyes constantly shifting among the others' faces.

"He can't be—we asked him questions only he would know. All afternoon, too. He didn't get a single one wrong, either."

Krad's eyes still lingered on the violet haired boy's worn face, and they exchanged glances. Krad stood unmoving as Dark broke the gaze, and pushed himself shakily to his feet.

Taking a hesitant step foreword, and then another, Dark soon stood a mere few inches away from the blonde. Krad's gaze fell to the floor, as Dark looked over the fine features, and an awkward silence hung about the room.

"Krad…?"

The blonde made the slightest effort to acknowledge he had heard Dark speak, casting a tentative glance onto the other boy. "Yes?"

Dark said nothing, but extended a hand to gingerly caress the other's face. His warm flesh making contact with the still icy skin caused a shiver to slide down his back, and Krad himself winced at the burning feeling.

"Why are you…here?" Dark asked, his voice betraying his now calm demeanor.

"I don't know…" The blonde said quietly.

"Are you going to stay here? With me?"

Krad swallowed. "But I don't even know if…"

Dark took a great breath, and before Krad could finish, he quickly leaned towards him, grabbing him in an affectionate embrace. "God, Krad…I missed you…"

"It was only…three days…"

"But for me it was hell…"

Krad gasped lightly, taken aback by the strange emotions Dark suddenly began to emit. Doing the only thing he could think of, Krad wrapped his arms around Dark in a comforting manner and said, "Why do you say that?"

"Because life without you is hell…"

Daisuke watched from the shadows, standing next to Satoshi. The blue haired boy pushed his glasses up the ridge of his nose and commented, "They'rerather _calm_ about this whole thing…almost _too_ calm, if you ask me…"

Daisuke shook his head and mumbled slightly, "No one asked…"

Satoshi merely shrugged. "Should we leave them alone for a bit?"

"That…might be a good idea…I don't want to disturb them…"

Daisuke and Satoshi then fell back into the guest room, closing the door quietly behind them as they left the two older teens outside in the living room.

Dark shuddered. "I don't _ever_ want to be without you again…"

Krad frowned, "But Dark…I don't know what happened…but I'm _dead_…technically…"

"Shut up…" Dark said quietly, too happy to hear the blonde ramble about why he should still be six feet under. "Just shut up and enjoy the moment…"

A small smile fell on Krad's lips, and he nodded. "When I told you…goodbye…did I tell you how much I loved you?"

"You forgot," Dark said flatly as he buried his head into Krad's shirt.

"I'm sorry…should I tell you now?"

There was a long pause before Dark's muffled voice was heard, and he said softly, "…please…"

Krad closed his eyes. "I love you so much…that even hell couldn't keep you from me."

--

_Mm…Did I forget to mention this was a Dark and Krad pairing? Sorry if I did and you are no longer interested in this story…my sincerest apologies. But, this chapter was updated especially for Genkai1314, who so very enthusiastically told me I had to update this. I hope you like this chapter, everyone, and if so please don't hesitate to leave your comments!_


	5. V

**Masquerade of the Dead**

--

Over the few days following the death of his best friend, Dark has learned that life can be hard, but what he doesn't know...is that sometimes being dead is much worse.

_--_

_Chapter 5_

_--_

Dark shuddered in the blonde's grip, and Krad wrapped his arms tighter around him. "What's wrong?" the blonde asked, trying to push Dark away just enough so that he could see his face.

Dark's grip didn't let up, though, and he remained clutching tightly to Krad. "Don't…just stay there for a minute…I don't…"

The boy's words died off, and Krad looked down at him. "Don't…don't what? Leave? Dark I won't…oh…"

Krad stopped speaking in mid-sentence, suddenly realizing the futility of his words.

Won't leave Dark?

He already had.

"I…I'm sorry…" Krad said at last, holding Dark tightly.

"For what…_dying_?"

Krad, taken aback by the sudden underplayed hostility of Dark's words froze, saying nothing.

"You broke your promise…and _left me_." Dark stated, as if coming to the same realization as Krad had, once again. "How could you…do that to me. You know I loved you…and you say you love me…but…"

Krad swallowed, "I'm _sorry_," he muttered weakly, not wanting to argue with Dark, just wishing he would _shut up_ about dying. Did he think he _wanted_ to die? There might have been a time in the past when he would have done anything to do so, sure, but that was so _horribly_ long ago…

"I know."

The blonde blinked. "What?"

"I know you're sorry…and that's why I'm not mad…because…" Dark gave a dry chuckle, "because death took you away and your back, with me acting like a _child_…"

Oh…so Dark wasn't…mad?

"Dark…" Krad stated hesitantly, "I don't…I don't want to think about some parts of the future, but you _have_ to know that there is a large probability that I won't be here for as long as you like…"

"Don't _say_ that…we don't know…"

Krad opened his mouth to say more when a voice interrupted him from behind, "Well, aren't you pessimistic…"

Cocking his head to the side while still holding the violet haired boy in a gently embrace, Krad looked down at a certain blue haired boy.

"Well, what do you want me to say? Do you want me to lie again? Say things I have no idea about?" The blonde spat quietly.

"You _could_ think on the bright side. Instead of moping on how little time you might have left with Dark, _maybe_ you should go and do something. At least make it memorable."

Krad frowned. "Memorable? Who's going to forget that I rose from my grave, _anyway?_"

Satoshi sighed. "You're missing the point."

"No, I'm not," Krad said as his voice dropped. He sighed heavily, and closed his eyes slightly murmuring, "I'm not _missing_ the point…I just keep choosing to overlook it…"

"Well maybe you should stop '_overlooking it_' and do what you can. We're going to see Emiko tomorrow, too."

Dark shifted in Krad's grip to look at Satoshi. "Why?"

The younger boy shrugged. "Because she might be able to figure out why Krad is here. And maybe answer some questions for us," he added.

The blonde nodded. "Does she know…about me or is this an impromptu trip?"

Satoshi shifted slightly in his position, although he still leaned against the wall. "We…haven't told her…"

"Will you tell her before we go over?"

"I don't know…if we do she might not want you to come over, but if we don't…well…that may be a little rude. I'll let Daisuke decided in the morning, but he's asleep right now. Which we all should be…"

"It…it's been an interesting day," Krad said as he looked over to Dark, "to say the least. I think it would be a good idea if we all _did_ go to bed now…"

"All right. If you need me, Daisuke and I will be in the guest bedroom," Satoshi said before turning around swiftly and disappearing behind a soon to be closed door.

Dark nodded to no one and began fumbling with a lock of his violet hair. "Krad…?"

The blonde looked at him and quietly asked, "Yes?"

"I…I was just wondering…if you would sleep in my room tonight…with me…"

Dark looked away, obviously embarrassed by his request, but Krad merely smiled faintly. "And abandon that lovely couch of yours? I'd be delighted."

--

Daisuke stepped out of the room groggily, barely noting the still gently falling snow out the window or the light of the new morning, and walked towards the kitchen. Passing through the living room, he paused.

Where had Krad…?

Staring puzzled at the couch for a long moment as his mind tried to register where the blonde could be, he barely realized someone had been standing behind him…until their icy grip fell lightly upon his shoulder.

Daisuke screamed a short yelp of terror, turning swiftly to the new figure.

It was Krad.

"Uhm…Daisuke…are you okay?" Krad asked, raising a brow at the heavily breathing redhead who now stood with one hand atop the couch and the other clutched across his heart.

"You scared me!" Daisuke hissed in a quiet whisper.

"I'm really sorry. I should have said something…"

"No, no—that's okay. Where were you?"

"I was sleeping in Dark's room. I heard your door open and decided I would get up."

"Oh…so I woke you?"

"No, actually…I wasn't able to get to sleep…" Krad said, scratching the back of his neck. "What are you doing?"

"I was going to make breakfast. Do you want something?"

Krad shook his head. "No…I'm not hungry, really…"

"But you haven't eaten for three…no, four days!" Daisuke said, protesting.

"Daisuke…I've been _dead_ for four days. I'm not sure I need to eat…I just…I just don't feel like it."

"Or maybe you're just anorexic," Satoshi said, stepping behind the two from the hallway.

"Satoshi…must you _always_ pop in at the strangest moments?" Krad said, turning his gaze to the other boy.

Satoshi shrugged. "I don't see why it should matter. You should at least try to eat something."

Krad frowned. "You always come and tell me what I should at least _try_ to do. I should eat, or try to think more optimistically, or something or other. It isn't fair…"

"You don't have to listen to me, you know," Satoshi said as he walked next to Daisuke.

"So now you're telling us not to listen to you?" Dark said, stepping out of the hallway as well. "That's fine with me."

Satoshi rolled his eyes, and Daisuke smiled slightly. "You seem like your feeling better, Dark…"

The oldest of them all smiled, flashing a charming grin. "I am. I'm feeling much better…"

"That's good to hear," Daisuke said as he walked into the kitchen, calling, "Dark—what do you want for breakfast?"

"I don't care, whatever you're making," Dark called slumping down heavily on the couch and closing his eyes.

"Still tired?" Krad asked, peeking over the back of the couch. Golden locks of hair cascaded elegantly over the couch, although in a slightly disheveled manner from a restless night.

Dark smiled, raising his hand and coiling a large strand of Krad's hair around it. Pulling a now clenched fist downward, he drew it to the point where he had forced the blonde to crush his lips against his on. Although there wasn't much of a response from Krad at first, at least he wasn't protesting…

Satoshi scoffed, following Daisuke into the kitchen and rolled his eyes at seeing the blonde half pulled over the couch. Refocusing his gaze on Daisuke, he asked, "When do you plan on heading back to your mother's house?"

Daisuke shrugged, pulling out various cooking ingredients. "I'm not really sure. I was thinking after breakfast. What about you—do you have any suggestions?"

Satoshi shook his head. "After breakfast is wonderful. I'll tell the others to get ready to go. How long do you think it will take?"

Daisuke shrugged. "Not too long…long enough for everyone to take showers if they wanted to."

Satoshi sighed. "I know _I_ could use one. I'll go ask the other two…if they're done being so blatantly intimate."

Daisuke raised a brow in curiosity, and Satoshi simply waved it off. "Don't worry about it. Just keep cooking."

Walking back out into the living room, Satoshi sighed somewhat in relief. Krad was now merely leaning on the couch, staring at the ceiling as Dark mumbled something. The blonde nodded, as if agreeing and than tossed a gaze to Satoshi. "Do you need something or are you here to tell me I'm being too…something or other?"

Satoshi smirked. "I _could_ tell you that your relationship is rather open around Daisuke and I. I _could_ tell you to get a room the next time you do that. I _could_ tell you—"

"Okay, okay…I get it," Krad said, sighing heavily. "What did you come here for?"

Satoshi shrugged. "Nothing much. Daisuke wants me to tell you two to take a shower and get ready to go to Emiko's."

Dark's head popped up from the other side of the sofa. "What?"

"He wants us to get cleaned up. So we don't look horribly unkempt when we go over."

Dark nodded at Krad's words. "Okay." He sat up, then added, "You can borrow some of my clothes, okay? Come on!"

Dark leapt out of the couch cushions and reached for Krad's hand, prepared to draw him to his room and help him pick out some clothes. The second his hand latched on Krad's though, Dark yelped out in pain and quickly retracted his hand, cradling it to his chest.

"Dark? What's wrong?" Krad said, looking from his hand to Dark.

"You…you're just so _cold_…"

Krad blinked, than clasped his hands together. "Are you sure? I don't _feel_ cold…"

"Or hungry or tired," Satoshi added.

Krad shot a quick glance at Satoshi, but Dark had once again reached down for Krad's hand. This time he didn't flinch away upon gripping it, and dragged the blonde to his room.

--

Krad sighed, holding the bundle of darkly colored clothes in front of him, and tossed Dark a look of slight confusion. "You _really_ want me to wear these?"

Dark nodded. "Yeah—hurry, go take a shower so I can see what you look like."

The blonde's shoulders slumped. "But Dark…black looks bad on me…"

"Krad…when are you going to learn that nothing looks bad on you?"

"Do you realize you've done almost nothing but flirt with me since this morning?" Krad asked suspiciously, clutching the clothes tightly to his chest.

Dark just smiled, ushering Krad out of his room and into the bathroom.

The blonde sulked to the bathroom, and quickly changed out of his clothes. He took a hurried shower. Upon finishing, he wrapped a towel around his waist, and reached for his long, silky hair, attempting to squeeze the water out of it. It took a long moment, but eventually he felt it was dry enough and stepped out of the bathtub.

Sighing heavily, he took a long glance at the pile of Dark's clothes the other boy had insisted he wore and changed swiftly. Then, turning his gaze the still foggy mirror to brush his hair, he blinked, and emitted a half strangled scream.

--

_Mmm…so very sorry for the very long delay in update…I had put half of this chapter up earlier this week, but it never showed up. I'm replacing that one with this chapter—which I do believe is longer and better written, so please do forgive me. I'm going to try and update all of my stories this weekend, so if you were waiting for a particular one…well, just know that you will see the next chapter very soon. Thank you for reading, and I hope you are enjoying this!_


	6. VI

**Masquerade of the Dead**

--

Over the few days following the death of his best friend, Dark has learned that life can be hard, but what he doesn't know...is that sometimes being dead is much worse.

_--_

_Chapter 6_

_--_

Dark, who had engaged in a conversation with the cook violently jerked his head backwards when the scream rang through the air, and he cursed, swiftly turning the corner.

"Krad?" He called, jerking the door open to find the blonde pressed against the back wall, staring at the mirror with wide eyes.

"Krad—what's—_Shit!_"

He took a quick step back at the sight withheld in the mirror, stepping back into the hallways as the blonde stayed motionless, staring at the ghastly reflection. Behind the thin lauer of steam that had collected over the smooth surface was a dark, morbid scene consisting of a haggard apparition watching with cold, gleaming red eyes. His bony hand clenched, and slowly rose to a height parallel to Krad's throat, and extended his hand foreword.

Dark cursed again, watching as the fleshless hand passed through what seemed to be simple glass and drew ever closer to the frozen blonde.

"Krad! Get away from there!" He hissed, but the blonde was too shocked to make even the slightest movement. It seemed as though he hadn't even been able to acknowledge that Dark had spoken.

The hand was now a mere few inches away from the blonde, long talons reflecting the gleaming light. Thinking quickly, Dark jerked foreword and tackled Krad to the ground, screaming as his back was raked against the claw-like hand.

The two males fell to the ground in a heap, and Dark winced, crying out from the freezing pain that now coursed throughout his entire frame. There was a screech from the mirror, and two sets of eyes fell on the retreating figure.

Not but a second later, Daisuke and Satoshi came into view, the former of the two still clutching a spatula. "What happened?"

"I…Ow!" Dark said, closing his eyes tightly. A thin line of blood began to pool around him, and Krad pulled himself and Dark up. "Where do you keep your medical kit?"

"In…in the cabinet. Next to the mirror…"

Krad cast a hesitant glance towards the cabinet, before leaving Dark to lean against the wall as he swallowed and stepped towards it. Looking into the mirror and nearly sighing with relief when he saw his own reflection, blurry as it was, he reached towards the cabinet and quickly withdrew a white box, slamming it shut and retreating towards the injured teen.

"Let's go…somewhere else," he said, grabbing the boy's hand, and dragging him out of the bathroom and past the two startled boys. "Wait!" Daisuke called, following them. "What happened?"

Krad shuddered. "I'll…in a minute…"

Dark smirked, biting back the pain as he was dragged to his room and commented to the blonde, "You're still shaking."

"I know," came the flat reply. "Sit down and take off your shirt so I can wrap it, okay?"

The violet haired teen did so, and the blonde's brows furrowed as he noted the four deep marks staining Dark's back. The skin immediately around the marks seemed to be black and tarnished, and Krad winced. "Why did you do that?"

Dark shook his head. "I didn't want him…to touch you…"

Krad smiled lightly, still wincing as he realized that he would have been dead if Dark hadn't done what he did. Well…dead _again, _to be precise…

"Thank you…"

"No problem. Might I mention," Dark said as he smirked, "That you look wonderful in that."

"Shut up and stop speaking such nonsense. I don't like it."

"So," Came Daisuke's timid voice from the doorframe. "Will you tell us what happened? How did Dark get those…wounds?"

Krad sighed heavily, concentrating on washing Dark's said wounds and said, "I was…when I got out of the shower there was this figure…in the mirror and it started to come out. Dark…stopped it from reaching me and it scratched him…"

"What did it look like?" Satoshi asked, drawing off his glasses and folding them neatly as he cast Krad a curious glance.

"Like the friggin' grim reaper," Dark said, letting out a breath of relief when Krad spread a soothing ointment across his skin and began to wrap it.

"Really?" Daisuke said, tossing a quick glance at the bathroom.

"I suppose you could describe it like that…" Krad said, his voice holding seeming indifference.

"Why do you think it was there?" Satoshi asked, his eyes never leaving Krad's form.

"I don't know," Krad said, not looking up.

"You don't know a lot of things," Satoshi replied, his eyes narrowing.

This made Krad stop in his ministrations and draw his gaze up to the younger boy's face. "What are you trying to say?"

"Nothing."

"Very well, then…what were you implying?"

"Nothing."

"Satoshi," Krad warned, standing up to his full height, "Let me warn you, before you seek to accuse me of something, the least you could do is—"

"Krad," Dark said solidly, looking up at him. "He's just worried."

The blue haired boy scoffed and stepped back into the living room. Krad shook his head, bending back down to tie off Dark's bandages.

Daisuke frowned. "I'll be back in a minute…do you guys need anything?"

"Nah, we're fine. How's breakfast?"

"It still needs some time…I'll go check on Satoshi and it…"

Daisuke took a step backwards, and then turned around heading in the same direction has best friends had just disappeared into.

"Why does he do that?" the blonde asked after a moment.

"Who? Do what?"

"Satoshi…"

"Oh…you mean why is he so hard on you?"

The blonde nodded and began cleaning up the small mess he had made. "Yeah."

"Like I said, he's worried. I mean, I'm a little freaked out myself, and I'm sure Daisuke is, too, but…"

"But?"

"But we understand that you're freaked out yourself. Satoshi just…he's stubborn. He refuses to think that."

Krad sighed, and sunk down on the bed next to Dark and looked down at the floor.

"Hey," Dark said, wrapping an arm around the blonde, "It's okay. Maybe Emiko will be able to change his mind. Maybe she'll be able to give us some answers."

Krad nodded. "All right…"

--

"What do you _mean_ that's breakfast—it's just _bread_!" Dark said, staring at the plate in front of him.

"It's _all_ you had!" The small red head protested, crossing his arms.

"Well…well…dammit, Daisuke! I can't live off of _bread_!"

"Technically it's toast," Krad said, watching in amusement.

"Well maybe it's a good thing. I called my mom and she has a feast of her own set up at her house waiting for us. She said she had a feeling we'd be bringing Dark over…"

The room fell silent, and Krad swallowed. "Did you…mention anything about me?"

"Well…no, not exactly…"

Krad let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and then raised a brow. "What do you mean…'not exactly'?"

"Well…I told her we were going to bring one of our friends with us, and she said that would be fine…"

"In any case, can we get going? I can eat _this_," Dark said, snatching up the toast, "While we walk."

Satoshi shrugged, uncaring, and went to pull on his coat and such. Daisuke nodded, considering this option and then agreed. "Yeah…that sounds like a good idea. I'll go get ready…"

Krad stood still for a moment, watching as his three friends all walked off to different corners of the house to get themselves ready. Not sure what to do for a long moment, his path suddenly became very clear when Dark called for him from his room. "Come _on_, Krad! I'm not waiting all day for you—I have something you can wear."

"Is it _black_?" Krad called irritably, walking towards his friend's room.

"No, not really! You left if over here a few months ago when we had that cold front. Remember?" he said, pulling a string of white clothes out of the closet. "I forgot, actually," Dark admitted, handing over a set of white gloves, a scarf, and an elegant jacket.

"Oh…yeah, I remember. You dragged me to the beach the next day…" the blonde said, pulling on the gloves as Dark fished through his closet for his own winter ensemble.

"And Emiko yelled at us because we got sick?"

"Yes," Krad said, smiling. "And it was all your fault."

"That isn't nice, Krad…" the other boy said, pouting.

The blonde chuckled lightly, and then silenced himself when he heard Dark gasp.

"Dark? What's wrong?"

"It's just…my back. It's starting to sting again…"

Dark pulled himself out of the closet, and drew on a black trench-coat, wincing slightly.

"Do you want me to put on more ointment before we go?"

"Nah, it's okay. I'll be fine," Dark said, shaking off the pain and donning a smile. "Let's go. I'm still hungry."

"All right, all right," the blonde said as he pulled on his coat and drew his scarf around his shoulders until he needed it.

--

"You ready? I don't know how she's going to react…" Daisuke said, his hand hesitating on the door handle.

"Well we're going to have to face it one time or another, so…better sooner then later," Dark said, watching as Krad gave a nod.

"All right…"

The boy never had a chance to open the door; it was flung open by his mother who smiled broadly at the four boys, "Hello! Who did you bring?"

"Uhm…mom…we brought Krad…"

--

_Haa…a cliffhanger. I really do hope you don't mind…and beg of you to forgive me for the long update. I'm getting around to it, though…I hope that you are enjoying this and will wait for the next update! Ah, but I fear there is a little bit of a problem…since it has been decreed that an author shall no longer reply to his or her reviews on the story…I have decided to no longer do the usual routine. No, that doesn't mean no more reviews, it just means no more reviews HERE. Since not everyone has an account on fanfiction dot net, I have decided to reply to all of you in the review section! I know this may be a little confusing, but you must understand that…it will work…I hope. And the good thing is that I'm not breaking any rules in the process! So, every updated chapter I will respond, only you will have to look in the review section. How redundant…I feel like I keep repeating myself. Anyway, those looking for my comments to their replies for chapter 5 will find them in the review section for chapter five, all right? Sorry to have wasted so much of your time…_


	7. VII

**Masquerade of the Dead**

--

Over the few days following the death of his best friend, Dark has learned that life can be hard, but what he doesn't know...is that sometimes being dead is much worse.

_--_

_Chapter 7_

_--_

Emiko blinked for a second, looking at her son curiously. Slowly, her gaze slipped from the face of her son to the taller face of the pale blonde.

Her eyes widened and she let out a light gasp, covering her mouth with her hand as she subconsciously took a step backwards.

"H—how is that…? But Krad's...!"

"Yeah…" Daisuke said, rubbing the back of his head as the blonde looked in another direction, averting his eyes from the woman in the doorway.

"How did he…?" The woman asked, slowly gaining her composure.

"We don't know, he just appeared at Dark's doorstep after the funeral," Satoshi said coldly.

All Emiko could do was stare at the blonde in shock…all the blonde could do was fidget nervously under her gaze.

A second passed, and then the woman—in a sudden burst—tightly leapt foreward and embraced Krad. The blonde nearly lost his balance though was able to quickly catch himself as the woman held tightly, whispering, "Krad, this is marvelous! But...Oh, dear! Krad, you're freezing!"

She released him to give him a curious glance. "Honey…why are you so cold?" She placed a hand on Daisuke's face, noticing a horribly large amount in temperature from her son to the blonde.

"I…" Krad cleared his throat, "I don't think my blood is circulating like it would if I were…still alive…"

Emiko blinked.

"What I mean to say is…I think the weather is…freezing me. Literally…"

She blinked again.

"Well, come inside, then! We'll talk in there…!" Emiko said, opening the door widely as she ushered the teenagers inside.

A silence accompanied them as the slowly peeled away their frigid coats and removed their shoes and such. Emiko led them to the living room a moment later, her eyes darting up every couple of seconds to rest on Krad as she collected her thoughts. "Uhm…well…first, is there anything I could get you boys? Something to eat? Drink? Anything you need?"

Dark drew in a breath to accept her generous offer, but quickly released it. "Uhm…I really think…we need to ask you some questions first…"

"About…?"

"Emiko…" Dark said, scratching the back of his head, "We were wondering…if you could help us figure out why Krad came back here…"

The brown haired woman shifted uneasily, "I don't know…there are things we could do…to try and determine why he came back, but I couldn't tell you right now."

"But there is a way to figure it out, right, Mom?"

"Well, Daisuke," Emiko said, biting her lip as she fought for the right words, "there _might_ be. It all depends—my magic can't do _everything_, you know…"

"Oh…" The redhead said, nodding, "I see, I think…"

"Well…good. If you boys really want me to do this…I can have everything ready early this afternoon, I think—does that work for you? Do you have other plans?" Emiko asked, looking at the clock.

"No, we don't have any other plans, " Daisuke said, smiling to his mother, "Thanks so much!"

"It isn't a problem. I'm as curious as you are…things like this don't happen everyday…I'm not sure I've ever heard anything even _remotely_ similar to…this. People rising again after dying…? It sounds like something from a storybook…" Emiko said as she scratched the back of her neck. "I know I may be a little skeptical—all the proof being right in front of me and all…but…this is a little hard to believe, either way…"

"You don't have to tell us that…we've had to deal with him," Satoshi said, casting no more than a scant glance at the blonde sitting at the other end of the couch.

Krad's brows narrowed and he looked at Satoshi. "What is _that_ supposed to mean, pray tell?"

Satoshi shrugged. "You figure it out."

Dark rolled his eyes. "Stop being such an ass, Satoshi. He hasn't done anything to _you_."

"I've done something to someone else, then?" Krad said, his gaze shifting to Dark, now.

"Uhm…no. Why would you think that?"

"Just the way you said that."

"Oops. I didn't mean for it to come out like that," the violet haired boy said with a nervous chuckle.

"Whatever…" Krad said, sighing.

The elder woman shook her head. "Now that that's settled, would you like something to eat? I made plenty…"

"That sounds really good. Daisuke made us _bread_."

"Toast," Krad corrected.

"Daisuke! How could you! I taught you better than that!" Emiko said, scolding.

"Mom! Wait—All Dark _had_ was bread. I made due with what there was!"

"Bread? Dark, how long have you been living off of _bread_? Why didn't you come over here and eat with us like we offered?"

Dark shrugged. "Hey, I didn't want to impose."

"Oh, sure, you say that _now_," Daisuke said with a grin, "You practically live here."

"No, I _practically _live at Krad's…house…" he paused and looked at the blonde. "Well…I used to. Now _he_ lives with me."

Satoshi scoffed once again. "Only because he can't go anywhere else."

"Any just why is _that_?" Krad asked, once again narrowing his gaze and looking at the younger male.

"Because no one would take you in. It was hard enough to deal with you when you were alive, but now that you're dead…"

Krad nearly flinched, but held his composure. Roughly, he sat up, and walked to the front door. "Please excuse me," he said, slipping on his shoes.

"Krad—wait," Dark said, pushing himself up. He let out a strangled yelp, and fell back onto the couch. Four sets of eyes fell on him.

"Dark? What's wrong?" Emiko said, walking over to him.

Violet eyes quickly shot over to Krad and the blonde froze. "Krad…come back here? Don't leave…"

The blonde paused for a long moment before grudgingly removing his shoes and walking back over to Dark. "It's your back again…where you got cut?"

Dark nodded.

"What are you two talking about? How did you get cut? When?" Emiko asked, looking down at the boy with curiosity and worry.

Dark hesitated. "This morning…"

"Well, what happened?"

"It's…a long story. And it's pretty weird, too…"

"Tell me. And let me see your back."

Dark hesitated. "Take off your shirt, I'll see if there's anything I can do. Come on, don't be modest," Emiko said. "And hurry up about it."

Dark did so, and Emiko glanced at the large mass of bandages wrapped around nearly the whole of his torso. Slowly, she began to peel them away. "So…tell me what happened again?"

Dark was silent. "I'll tell her, if you won't," Satoshi said, his icy gaze meeting Dark's.

"No, because you'll make Krad seem like the villain. I'll tell her, just give me a minute…" Dark said, sighing. "Uhm…Krad had taken a shower and he had screamed or something. When I went to check on him, this big black _thing_ came out at him from the mirror. I had pushed him out of the way and it kinda…scratched my back a little."

Emiko started at the boy's now completely bare back. "Oh, god…"

"What? What is it? Is it bad?" Dark asked, looking over his shoulder in a feeble attempt to see his back.

"Dark, your wounds…they're…"

"What? What are they?"

Krad walked behind the woman and drew in a sharp breath of air.

"Krad? Come on; tell me what's wrong! This isn't fair!"

"They're…I think they're infected," Emiko said, her eyes narrowing.

"So? I just need some antibiotics or something, right?"

"I don't know…"

"…Is it really that bad?" Dark asked a long moment later.

"It really is. These marks and all the skin around them…are completely _black_."

"Damn," Dark said with a shrug, "That can't be good."

"Dark," Daisuke said, he and Satoshi having been silent for a long time. "How can you say that? How can you…this is serious; how can you joke like that?"

"I don't know…is there anything I can do about them?"

Emiko shook her head. "It hurts, does it not?"

Dark nodded, "Yeah…?"

"I'm going to rewrap it. I'll put some cream on it that might help. Daisuke, would you go get the medical kit out of my bathroom? And the jar of blue cream, too?"

Daisuke nodded, quickly disappearing up the stairs to his mother's bathroom.

"You said something came out of the mirror, did you not?" Emiko asked, looking at Dark, who nodded a second later. "Yeah."

"What did it look like?"

"I dunno. Black…weird…scary."

Emiko drew in a breath. "Hold on," She said quickly, "I'll be back. Wait here, and try not to move."

Dark nodded. "All right…"

The woman nodded, then, and quickly ran upstairs as well. She returned, followed by Daisuke.

She passed the book to Dark and said, "Flip through this. See if you find anything that looks like what you saw."

Dark nodded and took the book, opening it up. "What is this?"

"An old book. Of sacred beings…I was just wondering about something."

Dark shrugged. "All right."

Quickly, as Dark flipped through the book, Emiko applied a thin layer of the creamy substance across the teenagers back before wrapping bandages around it. Daisuke watched curiously for a long moment before turning his gaze to Satoshi, who was staring out the frosty window. He rose, then, and walked over to where the boy was now standing. He must have moved while Daisuke was gone.

"Hey…Satoshi?" Daisuke asked in a hushed tone.

"What is it, Niwa?"

"Is something wrong? You seem…you've been really mean to Krad lately…why?"

Satoshi looked away from the window, his eyes flashing with some foreign emotion briefly. "I…something bad is going to happen…I can feel it," he said with a sigh. "And it's going to happen because of him. I don't want you to get hurt…so I'm mad at him for putting you in danger like this…"

Daisuke smiled slightly. "Thank you, Satoshi…that really does mean a lot to me. But don't be too hard on him? He can't help it. He's just as confused as us."

The blue haired boy was silent for a long moment before asking, "How do we know he's not lying?"

"Eh? Why would you think he was?"

"This…God, never mind. Everything is so confusing, I don't know what to believe…"

Daisuke smiled, "Just believe whatever your heart tells you."

Satoshi raised a brow. "Have you been reading some of your mother's romance books?"

The red head blushed, the red stain on his face matching the color of his hair. "N-no! Why would you think that?"

"Because if anyone else had just said that…it would have sounded really cheesy," Satoshi said, leaning forward and giving Daisuke a light peck on the cheek. "But since _you_ said it…it was just cute…"

Daisuke blushed. "S-Satoshi...!"

The other boy smiled. "Come on…" he said, grabbing Daisuke's hand and walking over towards the others.

Dark was frowning when the two arrived next to the couch. He flipped a page, then turned it back and passed the book to Krad. "Hey, tell me if this was it?"

The blonde obligingly took the book his eyes scanning the picture and briefly running over the text. He couldn't make any of it out though, it appeared to be written in a foreign language. "Yeah, this is it, I think…" he said, looking up to face Dark.

Emiko wiped her hands on a cloth and stood up straight, having just finished tying Dark's bandages. "Let me see?"

Krad nodded and passed the book over to Emiko. Her face paled, her eyes widened, and her brows furrowed. She bit her lip nearly to the point of drawing blood, and in a fit of rage snapped the book closed with one hand and flung it angrily to the floor.

"Emiko? Emiko, what is it?" Dark asked, turning to face the woman as she stared down at the book, which conveniently had landed, open, on the floor.

She shook her head, muttering, "No. Oh _no_!"

"Emiko! Calm down; what is it?"

The woman looked up from the book at Dark, revealingslightly tearing eyes. Her gazeran over to Krad, then, and she said slowly, "_He_ wants Krad…_He's_ going to…going to…"

"_Who_ wants Krad? What's he going to do?"

"You would know him as Death. Death wants Krad…"

A silence followed, then,and she added with a heavy tone of regret lacing hervoice,"You said you pushed Krad out of the way and took a blow from him…that blow was meant for Krad, and Krad alone…it was a…he was trying to rip out Krad's soul…"

"He didn't get it…he missed his target," She looked at Dark with wide eyes, tears collecting still, "…And now he's taking yours, instead…"

--

_Yay! Finally after such a long delay, I was able to update something! And to make up for it, I'm going to, pardon my language, work my ass off to make it up to you. In the very near future, I'm going to try and update every single one of my stories, all right? I hope you enjoyed this chapter—it's dedicated to Genkai1314. Please don't hesitate to leave me a comment; though if you're busy (or didn't feel this chapter was worth it), please don't burden yourself with that. Thanks for reading and I hope you will continue to do so!_


	8. VIII

**Masquerade of the Dead**

--

Over the few days following the death of his best friend, Dark has learned that life can be hard, but what he doesn't know...is that sometimes being dead is much worse.

_--_

_Chapter 8_

_--_

Again, an awkward silence fell across the room. For a long moment no one said anything—no one moved, or even breathed, it seemed.

All eyes fell on Krad when everyone had gathered their wits, and the blonde stared uncomfortably, half in shock, half in confusion, at Dark. "But…"

The silence broken, Satoshi snapped out of stupor and shook his head angrily, glaring at the blonde. "You see what you've done? I knew this would happen!"

"Satoshi—" Daisuke began, but the blue haired boy cut him off shortly after.

"No, Daisuke, I won't hear it. Don't tell me to take it easy on Krad—don't you realize what's happening because of him? I told you something horrible was going to happen, and now it has. He's dragging Dark down with him!"

Something snapped—_totally_ snapped—inside Krad at that moment. _Unfair_, he thought, _Unfair, unjust, and uncalled for. All of this!_

"Well I'm _sorry_," Krad hissed, his voice consumed with disgust, "That I'm so much of a menace. I must have known from the very beginning that that _thing_ was trying to take my soul and therefore am sacrificing Dark—the one person I care most for in this world—so that I might continue to thrive with this meaningless existence I've obtained from being here."

He shook with rage, pain, despondency. Tears, he knew, were springing from his eyes, and he quickly turned away and stormed to the door. Again, he slipped on his shoes, though this time no one called for him to stay. It didn't matter—he wasn't going to, anyway.

Krad opened the door, his coat and scarf still draped on the coat hanger, stepped outside and into the frigid world, and slammed the door shut behind him.

A soundless moment passed before Emiko turned her gaze to the blue-haired boy. "Satoshi! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"Well I'm not," he responded coldly, "It's not like I said anything that wasn't true!"

"He wasn't trying to get me into this mess, _dammit_! He wasn't trying to get any of us into this and you _still_ blame him!" Dark said, jerking his head roughly to make eye contact with a certain pair of azure eyes.

"How can you still stick up for him when you're practically _dying_?"

Daisuke watched silently as the two continued, a wave of guilt washing over him. Why hadn't he said anything? Called the blonde back? Comforted him at least? Chased after him?

"Because I love him, that's why! I don't care what happens to me, just as long as he's safe and comfortable, okay?"

"No! He's already dead; his time's been shot; he shouldn't even exist anymore, and here you are—you, who still has a full life ahead of you, may I remind you!—willing to give up everything just for _him_? He doesn't deserve to rob you of you're life!"

"Satoshi, shut up! You don't understand!"

"I understand just perfectly well! You're being an idiot!"

Daisuke, brows furrowed in anger—anger at himself for being so selfish, and anger at his friends for sitting here, bickering over nothing. He stood up then, his motion going almost unnoticed—his mother, only, watched him as he went over and slipped on his own shoes, grabbed a coat, his set of mittens and his scarf.

"Daisuke!" She called when it finally sank in that he was planning on going outside. It was too late. He was already out the door. After the sudden commotion, all eyes fell on the door, and Satoshi glared at Dark. "You see what you did?"

"What _I_ did? Excuse me?" the violet haired teen said, his rage burning still.

"If you hadn't stuck up for that—!"

"Don't even insult Krad, Satoshi, don't _even_!"

"Would you both shut your mouths? You don't know how childish you sound right now!" Emiko said, her tolerance finally shattering. "My son and one of your best friends are out there in freezing cold weather, and you're still here bickering like kindergarteners!"

Silence, again, fell across the room. Satoshi looked down at his feet guiltily, and Dark, still biting his tongue, let his gaze fall out the window.

"Now," the woman continued, "Neither of you are in any condition to go after either of them, and I have to tend to Dark's wounds. I'm sending Kosuke out after them, but until everyone is back in this house and we can have a nice, civilized conversation, I don't want a word out of either of you, understood?"

Two nods were given, though not one word spoken.

"Good. Satoshi, you help me. Fetch that kit Daisuke set right there? And Dark, turn around. I'll be back in a moment…"

--

Frigid winds biting against his tender flesh, Daisuke let out a small groan. He pushed forward none-the-less, snuggling deeper inside of his coat. He wrapped the scarf tighter around his face and neck, pausing in his stride. The blonde wasn't at Dark's house, as the redhead had suspected, and the poor boy found him backtracking. He paused outside his house, obviously observing a commotion, but quickly jerked his gaze away. He had more important things to do.

Feeling a wetness in his shoes, he slipped his gaze down to his feet, only to notice something he'd not seen before. Softly imprinted in the ground, there seemed to be…footprints?

That's right—Krad, dead or not, would have made tracks in the snow. Taking hurried steps foreword, Daisuke started following them, hoping only that he might be able to find the blonde before the footprints were buried by the fresh snow.

--

Krad sat, cold and miserable, next to a halfway frozen tree sprouted near a rock that, oh-so-strangely protruded from the ground. It was that certain rock that Krad was here—or more so what that rock signified. It was none other than his own tombstone that he was leaning against. He shuddered at the thought.

Even in the hottest of temperatures, the blonde always felt cool, but this was ridiculous. It felt as though his blood was made of ice (he was quite sure it was frozen by now), and he subconsciously wrapped his arms tighter around his knees, in which he had drawn up to his chest just recently.

"Why did all of this have to happen…?" He groaned, shaking his head and burying it in his knees. "Why…?" He added, his words still spoken to no one. As was expected, he got no answer.

The snow, had Krad been paying attention, flurried about more so than earlier—it was coming down harder and quicker than before. His body gave a shudder, and Krad felt his vision dim as more tears gathered around his golden orbs.

Someone's voice rang out in the distance, and Krad dismissed it merely to be his imagination, at first. A moment later, the same sound was heard—much nearer. Someone was calling…for something. He couldn't quite make out for what though, and he really wasn't sure he cared.

He raised his face from the little hole he had made and buried it in, his eyes lazily scanning the horizon. A burst of red seemed to appear out of nowhere, and as his body seemed numb, it would appear that his brain had the same treatment. It took a long second for Krad to realize that the bright speck of red nearing him at a quickening pace was Daisuke.

The blonde wanted to get up and run, just to avoid any harsh words the boy might have to say to him, but couldn't bring himself to move. He sighed and buried his head again.

By this time, though, Daisuke had made it very near to him, and panting, out of breath, and fatigued, he sank down into a sitting position near the blonde. He said nothing, at first, hoping only to catch his lost breath.

Krad spoke first. "What are you doing here?" he asked sullenly.

"I…came to find you…what else…?" The boy said, taking a breath between every few words.

"Why?"

"I had to…"

"Why's that?"

"I don't think what's happening is fair, so I came to take you back to the house and sort things out…"

"I'm not going," Krad said simply. "You might as well head back now; I fully intend to stay here."

"Why…?"

"Because I don't belong anywhere else."

Daisuke blinked, looking around. "Where are we…?"

"The cemetery."

Daisuke blinked, the snow-covered tombstone Krad leaned upon coming into view for the first time. He recognized it immediately. "That's…your grave…?"

Krad nodded.

"Why will you stay here?"

"Like Satoshi said, I'm just imposing at Dark's house, and no one would take me in since I'm dead, so I figure I should just stay where I'm supposed to be. If I'm lucky, Satan'll split apart the ground and suck me right in—that'd be right where I belong," Krad said bitterly.

"Don't talk like that," Daisuke said, in a tone so unlike him, Krad actually shifted positions to look at him as he continued. "Nobody knows what's going on, not even you. Satoshi isn't being fair, and we all know it. We're all worried, and he's just…not very caring about who he hurts, I guess…"

"Why should I go back? Isn't Dark mad at me?"

"No, actually he isn't," Daisuke said, rubbing his hands up his arms to heat himself up. "He kept sticking up for you when Satoshi tried to say some mean things…"

"Hn. So he's going to die…? Dark is…?" Krad asked. "Is there a way…we could reverse what is happening, do you think…?"

"I don't know. My mom would, but to find out, you'd have to come back to the house…" Daisuke prompted the blonde to accompany him home again.

"I already said, I don't want to go. I don't belong there. But…that doesn't mean you shouldn't go back. You'll catch your death if you stay here," Krad said, his voice hinting to joke, "and that's the last thing I need. The last thing _any_ of us needs…is for someone _else_ to die."

"I'm not going without you," Daisuke said.

Krad didn't say anything for a long moment. "Why? All I want to know is _why_ you want me to go back with you…"

"That's simple. You're my friend, and I'm worried that something bad might happen if you just stay out here all by yourself. It isn't fair that you should have to seclude yourself like this, so I think you should come back with us so…so that at least we can keep you company, right?"

"No!" Krad hissed. "Why are you the only one who doesn't seem to understand that if I stay at your house, horrible things are just going to keep happening? Look at what's happening to Dark right now! That's my fault! It doesn't matter if I didn't mean for it to be, it's still my fault that he's dying right now! I deserve everything Satoshi's said to me over the past few days—I should have taken the hint earlier. Maybe if he had gotten me pissed off earlier then Dark wouldn't have gotten cursed like he is. Then I would already be in hell and none of this would be happening—everything—the whole fact that I ever even existed would be nothing but a bad memory, fading as time goes by!" The blonde took a breath, opening his mouth to add more. A voice stopped him.

"I think that's quite enough, Krad."

Two sets of eyes rose uncertainly, only to meet with a set of auburn ones. Kosuke loomed above them, leaning over Krad's tombstone ever so slightly.

"Dad…? What are you doing here…?" Daisuke asked, blinking. Krad merely stared, still more than half confused at the older man above him.

"You're mother sent me to bring you home. Go on, I won't have no for an answer—get on with you," he said to Daisuke, ushering the boy to stand. Daisuke did so, but gave his father a very disappointed look. "But Dad…" He tossed a look at Krad. Kosuke only smiled, giving the boy a quick wink. "Don't worry, Daisuke, I'm not coming home alone. Now go on, I'm afraid you're mother is going to have a heart attack."

Daisuke gave a quick nod, dashing back off towards the house with a quick goodbye, leaving only Kosuke and Krad in the cemetery.

"Come on, you, too. Stand up."

Krad blinked and shook his head, burring his face once again. "No…" he mumbled.

"You don't have a say in this matter, Krad. You have to come with me," Kosuke said, reaching out a hand to help the boy up.

Reluctantly, Krad straightened himself and took the hand, realizing how futile any protesting would be. Niwa's were stubborn…there really wasn't anyway he could refuse.

Standing up, Krad averted his gaze almost immediately. He missed the fact that the brown haired male had removed his coat and was already handing it over to the boy. "Here, take it."

Krad's gaze shot back over to Kosuke, and in turn, the coat in his hands. "No. I can't…you'd better keep it."

"Why is that?"

"Didn't you know? I'm quite _dead_," Krad said flatly, sighing soon after. "It won't do me any good."

The man shrugged, still holding the coat out. "Take it anyway. Even if it's just to make me feel better."

Krad was really not in a mood to continually protest, so he unenthusiastically reached out and grabbed the coat, slipping it over his lean shoulders.

"What you said earlier…that wasn't very like you, you know…"

Krad shrugged. "So what? Does it matter?"

The Niwa male shook his head. "Come on, we'll talk as we head back to the house."

Krad gave him a sort of pleading look, as if silently begging otherwise, but Kosuke would have none of it, resting his hand on the boy's arm as he began leading him to the house.

"I wanted to say that I'm worried about you…"

"You shouldn't be. Worrying about me is just a waste of time. Have you talked to Satoshi lately? He could set your mind right about what you should think of me," Krad said, not totally being sarcastic.

"See? That isn't like you. You're not normally…not normally _this_ pessimistic. What Satoshi says…you're not _really_ taking that to heart are you?" Kosuke asked, and when answered by silence, added, "Ah. I see you have been. He's just worried…and confused. Don't hold it against him…?"

"That's what everyone says about Satoshi, you know. That he's just worried and confused and young. I'm sick of it. He's smart enough to know what he's saying. He's not _just_ worried or _just_ confused, he hates me, and I know it. Just leave it at that and drop it, _please_?" Krad begged, looking at the ground as he was tugged ever closer to the house.

"…All right. I will. Krad?" Kosuke asked, watching as his abode came into view.

"…Yes?"

"I want you to make me a promise. Will you do that?"

"What is it?"

"I don't want you to get moody like this again. The commotion it's caused at the house…" Kosuke began.

"It's my fault, I know. I cause so many problems. For Dark—he's dying because of me, for Satoshi, because he hates being around me. For Daisuke because he's caught in the middle of it. For Emiko because she has to deal with me. For you because I've made you go out of your way to fetch your son, who only left because of me. I've made your house into a war zone, I've—"

"Krad," Kosuke said firmly, reminding the blonde of how Daisuke had been earlier, "Just close your mouth for a minute and stop it. It isn't your fault."

"It _is_. Whether you see it or not, I see it, and I know it. You can't tell me it's not true, so please just _stop it_. Just stop it and let me go back on my merry way back where I belong, okay?"

Kosuke shook his head, eyeing the house as they approached the front door. "No. I'm not letting you go back to that graveyard. You're coming back inside with me, and you're not leaving till we get sick of you, got it?"

"Half of you already are," the blonde commented. Kosuke chose to ignore it, and opened the front door. Gesturing for Krad to step in first—only a precaution should to boy try to bolt—he stepped in soon afterwards and closed the door behind him. Both slipping off their shoes (and Krad the coat Kosuke had so generously loaned him), each was quite conscious of the many sets of eyes lingering on them. Krad, ignoring them, turned to Kosuke, and asked in a quite hushed manner, "Now what?"

"Take a break. Go get some rest. The guest bedroom—I want you to go in there and take a nap, if you can…we'll be in to get you in a little while," Kosuke said. Krad nodded, not bothering to point out that he couldn't sleep even if he wanted to, and departed.

Dark sat up, willing to chase after the blonde, but Emiko reached a hand out and placed it on his shoulder. "Give it some time, Dark. We'll tell him what we've found out later. Let everything settle for a bit…after dinner we can all get together and talk. Fair enough?"

Dark sighed, nodding. "Yeah, I guess…"

"It's not fair," Daisuke murmured from the couch he was sitting on. Satoshi, who sat next to him, raised a brow as the boy continued, "I think fate has it out for him…"

Kosuke sat down next to his wife, taking her hand in his. She sighed, then, squeezing his hand as she closed her eyes. "It would certainly seem that way…"

Biting his tongue, Satoshi glanced out the snow-covered window.

_--_

_Yay! I updated again. I do hope the lot of you can forgive me. I want to thank ANIMEFREAKXXX for motivating me to update this story (no matter how lame it is at the moment) and for his most wonderful comment and suggestion for a previous chapter. There has been a minor change, but you probably won't even notice it. So, anyway, to you, my dear ANIMEFREAKXXX, I dedicate this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, and please do continue to read and review my stories, all right?_


	9. IX

_**Masquerade of the Dead**_

_--_

_Over the few days following the death of his best friend, Dark has learned that life can be hard, but what he doesn't know...is that sometimes being dead is much worse._

_--_

_Chapter 9_

_--_

Krad had walked upstairs quickly, feeling the gazes of those in the living room boring into him. He shuddered and quickened his pace, disappearing into the guest room he had grown so familiar with over all his years of knowing the Niwa. He reached the white door and opened it silently, slipping inside with the silence of a shadow.

He closed it slowly, carefully, as if by closing it without caution it would break. As soon as the soft click was heard, he drew away from the door, giving it a scathing glance. He was prisoner here, and the door only served to remind him.

In a matter of moments he had turned from 'old friend' to 'murderous adversary'. He was not pleased, to say the least, and found himself drawn to the window of the room.

Aside from a bed and small coffee table, there were a set of chairs and a mirror in the room. Since none of these objects seemed to particularly interest the blonde, he was drawn to the source of light. The drapes were drawn open, and the blinds were pulled up. Krad could see very clearly through the frosted glass, and looked out across the white land with despair.

The family was preparing to eat, Krad noted, when he heard noises from below him. They were bustling about in the kitchen; Emiko's shrill voice giving orders reached his ears even from downstairs.

He really didn't belong here, but no matter how many times he told himself it was for the best that he should leave…it would seem that he couldn't bring himself to do it.

He could have protested further from Kosuke. He could have run, or at least hid somewhere less conspicuous. Even now, he could escape through the window, but…

He couldn't.

No doubt it was his sense of duty. If Dark was dying because of him, had he not some obligation to set things right? Yes, of course…

That's what he told himself as he stared out the window, watching the endless fall of snow.

--

Dinner had been awkward and silent, much to Emiko's dismay. She shook her head in disappointment as she and the rest of the members of their little family brought in the dishes from breakfast. She didn't bother rinsing them and left them in a large stack in the sink. Ushering everyone into the living room, she sat them all down.

Everyone seemed to be at a loss for words, especially Dark and Satoshi. The two would glower occasionally, though Dark would take a more pensive look and Satoshi a more indifferent one for the majority of the time.

"Now, everyone…we need to talk about what's going on, here," Emiko began, only to be interrupted by Daisuke.

"What is it, Sweetie?"

"I think Krad should be part of this."

"He will be," his mother assured, crossing her legs as she leaned back into one of the couches and snuggled next to Kosuke, "But right now, we need to focus on what we can. Everyone gets so hyper when he's around," the woman said, shrugging.

Kosuke watched in silence as his wife continued, "There's a lot of research that must be done, and we cannot afford to waste time. I'd like to ask all of you for your help…"

Emiko paused in silent request; Satoshi shrugged and Dark gave a quick nod. Daisuke watched eagerly.

"…But that would involve staying here for the night. We'll feed you and take care of you, I assure you, but you'll all have to get along. Can we agree to these terms?"

Everyone in the room nodded.

"Good. Now, as I was saying, we need to find a way, more than anything else in the world, to somehow reverse the curse that has been set upon Dark. I have ideas and theories, but…I'll need to do a little research. This is where you come in. I need the lot of you to assist me in the little things—gathering spells and ingredients, and doing other research for me. I need to know, for example, why Krad's soul has come back to us."

Satoshi bit his tongue, though it was apparent that he was not pleased with talk of Krad. He eventually shrugged and took off his glasses, folding and setting them in his lap. "You have speculations as to why he came back?"

"I do. But, this is the part where we go get him. Kosuke, be a dear…?"

The older man gave a quaint smile, "Of course," he said, rising from the couch. Sliding on his slippers when he reached the stairs, he slowly began his trek up.

Emiko leaned forward, whispering, "I don't want to," she murmured, "But I feel it's best that when Krad has his little fits that he's by himself. I don't want him influencing any of you negatively and," she looked at Satoshi, "I don't want any of us influencing him negatively."

"Whatever," Satoshi said, not the least essence of concern in his voice.

Daisuke tossed him a hurt look, and Dark a glance of contempt. Emiko merely shook her head, feeling sorry for the boy.

--

Footsteps…louder and louder. Someone was coming upstairs…

Krad drew his gaze away from the window and back towards the door. He suddenly felt like hiding, and cast a glance at the door on the other side of the room—the closet. How very _dearly_ he wanted to just jump inside and hide! Or if not the closet, than at least under the bed?

But, no. Krad had his dignity, so he turned away from the window and faced the door, observing as Kosuke knocked three times, paused, and then opened it slowly.

"Krad?"

The blonde was silent, waiting for Kosuke to speak. "Oh, there you are," he said with a grin after spying the teenager staring at him glumly from by the window, "They're waiting for you downstairs"

"I don't want to go downstairs," Krad said, suddenly, surprising even himself.

The auburn haired male looked at him for a long moment before nodding. "Do you mind if I come in?"

"It's your house."

Kosuke nodded. "Right, then," he murmured, and entered. Closing the door as carefully as Krad had, he flicked on the lights and looked around. "Let's talk."

"Do we have to?"

"We should."

The blonde's shoulders sank. He sauntered over to the bed in the center of the room and sat down on it as Kosuke took a seat in one of the chairs next to the coffee table.

"I know this is trying on you," Kosuke began, "but you have to understand that we care. We really do, and we're all trying to help you and Dark cope with things. I can't help or do anything if you won't let me, Krad…"

"What do you want me to do?" The blonde inquired, crossing his legs atop the bed.

"I want you to trust me, first of all."

A look of contemplation fell across Krad's features. "I trust you," he said after a pause.

"Good. Now, Krad…I'm not your father," Kosuke began, unaware of how Krad rolled his eyes at the mention of his father, "and I'm not even going to try to be. But I _am_ going to give you some fatherly advice."

"Sure, whatever. Go for it."

"This is all your fault," Kosuke said, watching as the blonde's expression turned from sour to stunned. "I told you before that it wasn't, but it is."

Sadly, Krad said, "I _know_. What about it?"

"It's your problem that this happened, so it's your job to get it fixed. You follow me?"

Krad nodded as he focused his golden eyes on the intricate pattern of the comforter resting atop the bed. He traced his finger over the cottony substance, feigning interest in its texture. Kosuke continued, "This isn't something you can fix by yourself, which is why you've got yourself and Emiko and I to help you. We're right behind you every step of the way, Krad. Whatever happens now will change the rest of our lives forever, depending on the outcome of this situation."

Kosuke crossed his legs, pausing for a moment to let his words sink in before he spoke again. "This is a group project. A team effort. If you don't help us and try your best to get along with all of them, then Dark is going to die. But you know this," Kosuke said, watching as Krad's expressionless face suddenly lit up into one of fear and anxiety, "We have to do what we can to save him. We need you, Krad. Are you with us?"

It didn't take Krad long to answer, for he shook his head only a few seconds after Kosuke had finished. "I want to help. Just tell me what to do."

"First thing you can do," Kosuke said with a smile, "is come downstairs with me. Emiko says she's got a few ideas about why you're here."

"I'd like to hear what she has to say."

Kosuke stood up from his chair. "I would, too, so let's get down there before she gets impatient." He walked to the bed and reached out a hand, which Krad took less eagerly than he had anticipated, and drew the teenager to his feet. He gestured for Krad to lead the way, so the blonde slowly moved out of the room.

He was only a step or two from the door when he felt Kosuke's heavy hand resting on his shoulder. He cocked his head just a bit to the side to get a clear view of the man.

"Krad, you're a good kid. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise."

The boy paused for a long moment, then nodded. "Whatever…"

--

For nearly an hour did Emiko chat about her theories as to why Krad had come back from the dead, though she believed, in the end, that there was simply a deep emotion resonating in Krad's soul from when he had passed on, and because he was still so firmly attached to this world—and to Dark, that he had been unable to move on to the next life.

Explaining how he had come back in a tangible form had been less easy. "Normally when someone is anchored to this world, it is by spirit only. I've never, not once, in all my long years, heard of a case where someone came back in both their body and soul. It's amazing, but if anyone was going to do it, I'm glad that it was you, Krad. Now, the most logical explanation I can think of is that there was simply a disturbance in the gates that travelers pass through to get on to the next realm. Instead of you getting through and being reborn or moved to an afterlife, you were given a tangible form. Chances are this was just a fluke, and that would explain why Death was trying to get rid of you…"

The conversation went on with Emiko rambling, and only occasionally would one of the other people interrupt or throw in their their own thoughts.

By two o'clock in the afternoon, when the snow was still falling and the sun was still hidden, the discussion came to an abrupt end. Dark had complained of sitting still for far too long, and often whined about his back stinging. Satoshi would occasionally send Krad a queer glance when no one was looking, and Daisuke would fiddle with his thumbs, silently, throughout the whole conversation.

"Tonight, my family, we'll start the ritual," Emiko had declared.

"Which ritual?" Kosuke had asked.

"We're going to contact him. Let's see if we can't make a deal with the reaper of souls."

--

_It has taken me nearly a year to update this, and so I do beg for your forgiveness. It would seem that I have mistreated many of my favorite stories, though no more. It is late in the evening, and my fingers are sore and bruised (maybe…) from typing. I tried, really, but you can probably tell that during the end it gets a little…shoddy. I'll try to update this soon to make up for it, but please forgive me. I still aim to finish this by ten chapters, so this story doesn't really have that much longer to go. Oh, wait. Never mind! I thought this was the eighth chapter still, but since it's the ninth…well, maybe it'll be twelve chapters…we'll just have to see._

_Anyway, thank you for reading and remember—I do love reviews! If you have any output on this story—or any of my others, for that matter—I'd love to hear it! Ugh…I'm so tired. I'll update soon, so watch for the next chapter within the next two weeks._


End file.
